


Small Problems Two-Shot

by Canadiantardis



Series: Borrower AU [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Adoption, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Borrower Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Borrower Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Borrower Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Borrower Deceit | Janus Sanders, Borrower Logic | Logan Sanders, Borrower Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Are Twins, Flashbacks, Fluff, G/T, Gen, Human Dragon Witch, Human Thomas Sanders, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Experimentation, M/M, Past Character Death, Pet!AU, Rescue, Sequel, The ending is just soft, Tiny!sides, Two Shot, heart problems, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26570791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canadiantardis/pseuds/Canadiantardis
Summary: Two separate one-shots based in the world of Small Problems, based on comments I had gotten about certain thoughts about Subject 02, and the future for the couple.Read Small Problems to understand what's happened!
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders & OFC, platonic DRLAMP
Series: Borrower AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1932568
Comments: 12
Kudos: 31





	1. Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, who was Subject 02? A few people actually asked about her, and when I had seen the art for her made by Willow, my artist for the Big Bang, I knew I needed to write something for her. Other people also asked about why Jay went by Jay only, so, here is the answer.  
> Most of the warnings are implications, and all in the past. Implied abuse, unspecified heart problems, heart failure, character death. Very bittersweet.

It was late in the day when Jay came to visit Virgil and Patton. Patton, like always, gave him a warm hug, fretting over him like a mother to a child. He had been like that for the past several visits, which had originally been rather sporadic at best. Jay wasn’t much of a social borrower like Patton, so he kept to himself most of the time. He knew rumours milled around about him being a rarely seen cryptid, but that was fine. They weren’t malicious, Virgil even expressed how he wished to be on the same level as him but with a mate like Patton, it would be impossible.

“Jay!” Patton greeted, pulling him into the little home. In the year they had been in the shelter, their space had certainly become lived-in. It was cozy and domestic for the couple, and reminded Jay of his family home, way back when he had been a child. “It’s nice to see you again! Glad you could make it!”

Jay nodded, a corner of his mouth tilting up in a smile and he raised his hand to give a three-finger salute to Virgil and Logan, who were speaking in low tones a little further into the home. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it probably wasn’t important.

They sat together, whatever conversation Virgil and Logan had had left behind when Jay and Patton approached, and Jay allowed himself to be content in listening to the news of his friends.

_It was odd,_ he thought, _having friends again._

The conversation winded down when he realized Patton was looking at him with light curiosity.

“May I ask about something, from your time… _there?”_ All three other borrowers tensed as Patton asked, his words as soft as silk. “You, you don’t have to, but… Jay, what was Subject 02 like? I… I want to honour her, you know? By remembering her, even if I never met her.”

Jay felt his chest pang and he looked down at his lap. He understood Patton’s sentiment, and before he could overthink things, he opened his mouth and spoke.

“Sub… Her name was Alice.” Jay said, without looking up to see the others’ reactions, though he knew by the way Logan shifted in his periphery that his fellow freed labrat was curious about the story. Jay, after all, never even told him her name before. “She was… more than a friend…

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Dr. Fafner looked frustrated with the results in her hands, something that gave Janus minor joy. He was stubborn, and he knew she could only do so much to him if she wanted the right results.

The current result was of his time in their dumb mouse maze, which he hadn’t followed at all. He climbed up a wall and walked around it for several minutes, playing around and hopping from wall to wall, until eventually he grew bored and hopped out of the maze area altogether without getting to the exit. One of the other scientists had actually let him have his fun before taking him back to the large in-laid cage. He had then spent about half an hour waiting for the main lady to return with her results of his time in the maze looking none too pleased.

“Do you think this is a game, One?” Her words were as cold as ice.

Janus smiled innocently, knowing it infuriated the human, but he was safe behind the cage wall, and he made sure he wasn’t within hand-reach if she tried to grab him.

He had been a labrat for this company for maybe a couple weeks now, and he hadn’t let them scare him into complying with them yet, even if the threats were getting to him a bit. He may be alone in his torment, but he would rather never have a fellow labrat.

“It is as long as you continue to try to humiliate me with that nickname, Witch.” He responded, happy when she turned on her heel and stormed off in a huff.

His happiness was short-lived when _she_ was brought into the cage, a few hours later.

It had to be close to lunch when Dr. Fafner came in with a horribly familiar cage. A refashioned cat carrier, the mesh windows perfect for ensuring no borrower escaping it. He heard a young, feminine voice coming from the cage as it was brought to one of the cage doors, tilted at an angle the poor borrower would have no choice but to tumble through, which is exactly what happened.

A yelp, a grunt, and a flash of limbs tangling over each other as a young girl rolled out of the carrier and into the cage, her hair coming out of two carefully made buns atop her head, the lace ribbon bits in her hair seeming to be what tied the buns up.

“Excuse me, ma’am, you didn’t have to be so rude!” She called out as the cage door was shut in front of her. “You could have asked me to get out.”

Dr. Fafner paid her no mind, and within seconds, the borrowers were left alone.

The girl huffed and sat up with a wince, pushing a hand over the left side of her chest. She dusted herself off with her other hand, patting her hair and looking annoyed by the buns coming undone, before she looked around her new enclosure and spotted Janus watching her from a distance. She gave a bright, relieved smile and carefully stood up, dusting herself off completely and he saw the handmade dress she wore. He was a little impressed, as even his mother had never been able to make her own clothes but had to borrow from the discarded doll clothing like the rest of them, even if they were never in her style - “whatever happened to simple dresses without all this _glitter?”_ \- but the girl looked like she had managed to make an entire outfit out of borrowed cloth.

“I’m so glad I’m not the only one, I think I would have cried!” The girl said, hurrying over to Janus until they were a few inches apart, and she stuck out her hand. “I’m Alice, it’s nice to meet you,” suddenly she looked a little hesitant and glanced around their cage, “I think.”

Janus gave a small smile and took the hand. “Can’t say I’m glad to no longer be the only one trapped here, but it is a pleasant change to have someone more my size. My name is Janus.”

“Janus, huh? Isn’t that…” She looked uncertain as she retracted her hand, clasping both together in front of her.

“Different spelling.” He shook his head. “Or so I was told. My mother said it was because the humans we lived near were big fans of mythology, and she liked that name when I was born.”

“Oh? What mythology?”

“Roman, I think. Apparently Janus was the god of beginnings and transitions, duality.” Janus shrugged. He didn’t understand humans in the present day, and he certainly didn’t understand those who created his namesake. “Not that it really matters anyway. She liked the name and I’ve had it ever since.”

Alice giggled, and it was then that Janus realized just how young she looked. She was a few millimeters shorter than him, but she looked years younger. He wondered if she had been caught the day she had attempted to strike out on her own.

“How old are you, Alice?” He asked.

“Oh, uh, 18!” She blushed at the question and busied herself by fixing her hair, carefully taking the ribbons out and combing her hair back into submission with her fingers. “I had a lot of bad luck, but I’m thankful my family should be safe. I had made it to another house before I got caught.”

“That’s… good at least. I hope your family is safe too.” Janus wondered if his family was safe. He hadn’t seen them in a few years since he had left to find his own place when he was ready.

“Well, what about you, Mr. Jay?” The nickname caught him off-guard and he looked surprised at her blankly. “How old are you?”

“26 recently.” A couple months ago by now if he had been remembering the dates correctly. He had been brought to the lab in April.

“Oh, so you’re old.” Alice’s giggle turned into a full body laugh when Janus spluttered indignantly. “It’s okay, Jay, I’ll keep that our little secret~”

Janus spluttered again, trying to focus on his words enough to say something coherent. “I am… you, ugh, my name is _Janus,_ not _Jay.”_

“But Jay is so much nicer to say!”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Jay glanced up once, his throat terribly dry and sounding scratchy as he recalled the first day he and Alice had met. Logan watched him with that same hard-to-read expression, but Jay knew he was shocked. Their first interaction had been a lot more stilted and closed off, and it had taken them a while to get each other’s names, though they had never asked how old the other was. Jay still didn’t know Logan’s age, and the same with Virgil and Patton in the months they spent together either as pets or labrats, or when they had been saved.

Virgil seemed to curl up on himself, leaning against his mate as if making sure he wouldn’t disappear. Jay still had a tough time reading the borrower, but he was a friend regardless, and understood Jay just as well as he understood the others in the home.

Patton looked distressed, his emotions easy to read. He had always reminded Jay of Alice, which in turn brought a surprising amount of guilt every time the thought crossed his mind. He knew the two would have gotten along quite well if they had met.

“She was a lot like you, Patton.” He said, startling the borrower, who looked at him with wide eyes.

“She was?” He echoed.

Jay nodded. “She was… personable. Loved talking to others, even if our only other company were the humans who treated us like expendable tools.” His tone grew bitter. “You would have liked her.”

Patton took a moment to process his words, nodding slowly. “She sounded like a great borrower.”

“What happened to her?” Virgil asked. “We had been told she had a weak heart or something. What caused that?”

“Humans didn’t believe us when we said we could get the same health problems as them.” Janus’ tone grew bitter and he spat the words out like venom. “Seizures, heart attacks, strokes, it’s not a human-only condition to have them…

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

“Mama always said I had a weak condition.” Alice said breathlessly, grimacing in pain as she pushed a hand over the left side of her chest as if it would stop the pain she was obviously in.

Janus helped her to her bed. Well, he carried her to her bed and wrapped her up in the nest of blankets they were both thankful the humans allowed them to have.

“You just need rest.” He promised, although he really had no idea. He didn’t know what was happening to her, other than understanding it was painful for her and deadly if left untreated. Alice had been making cases for them to take things easy on her because of her weak heart, but it seemed like none of the humans cared or believed her.

“I know, I know, Jay. Mama always said I needed to rest after an episode like that. I’m not a fast runner, which was probably why I was caught so easily.” She laughed at herself breathlessly, hissing in pain as it seemed to pull at whatever was happening internally.

“Why won’t they believe you? You’ve actually been complying with their dumb rules.” Janus couldn’t understand it, and stood up to pace or do something productive with his time, but stopped when Alice grabbed his wrist. He looked down to see her pouting at him.

“No leaving, Jay!” She said, pulling his wrist to her. “We don’t have any scheduled experiments for the day, and dinner’s not until later. Cuddle time now.”

Janus wanted to resist, wanted to yank his arm away and get rid of the energy inside his body, the frustration at their situation and how anything Alice said about her condition was ignored, but then she gave him the damned puppy dog eyes and he grumbled the entire way down into the nest with her, wrapping his arms protectively around her as she happily curled closer into his chest.

Like always, he muttered into her hair, “I’ve told you before, my name is Janus.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

“What relationship did you two have?” Logan questioned, startling Jay back into the present. “You two had gotten very close in the three months before her… Before her death.”

“She… We were like siblings, I think. I saw her as a little sister, but I never said that to her out loud. I think she saw me as a brother. We’d bother each other but we still cared about the other when the humans weren’t around to study our interactions.”

Logan nodded, sitting back, and after a minute of silence, Jay resumed his story.

“The day it happened… She had been forced to run for far longer than she ever had been before…

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Janus hadn’t seen Alice for hours and he was beginning to worry. The humans would be heading home soon, and they still needed their dinner and everything, and Alice had not been returned. He knew it wasn’t because she had tried to escape, she wasn’t one to do so. He didn’t even think the thought of escape ever crossed her mind unless Janus was the one to bring it up in conversation.

He paced the cage about three full times before she was returned, paler than usual and unsteady on her feet. Janus ran over to her and helped her steady herself as the human shut the cage and left without another word or glance back.

“Are you okay?” He asked, checking her over. She was breathing very heavily, a wheezing sound that was barely heard until he had been right beside her.

“Br-breathless.” She gasped the word out, her body shaking as if she had been out in the cold for the entire experiment, waving her hand to dismiss Janus’ worries. “I’ll be… I’ll be fine, Jay. Rest.”

“What happened?”

“Running. En...Endur...ance.” It took a great effort for her to speak properly, and she leant heavily against Janus, who at this point was about to pick her up when she froze in place before her body went utterly limp, crumpling to the ground even as Janus tried to keep her up.

“Alice?” Janus dropped to his knees and tried to check her over, but he didn’t know anything about medicine or what was happening. He knew to check her pulse but he couldn’t… he couldn’t find it. He _couldn’t find it!_ “Alice!”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

“I screamed myself hoarse trying to get one of the damned humans to save her, but they came into the room too late.” Jay winced as the memories came to front, memories he half-wished he could never remember again. “She looked like she was just sleeping, but her chest wasn’t moving, and she… she used to snore, really lightly. But she was so quiet, for so long, and they took her body and…”

He was startled by arms wrapping around him in a tight, squeezing hug that shook him in place. He awkwardly patted the arms that embraced him, turning his head to see Patton hiding his face in his shoulder.

“I’m sorry you had to witness that.” Patton’s voice shook, like he had been crying or was close to. Patton seemed the type to cry easily. “That must have been horrible.”

Jay opened his mouth to refute it but he couldn’t make a sound. Saying it hadn’t been horrible tasted like a lie, fake. Seeing Alice fall to the floor without a pulse, her body no longer warm the longer the humans took to entering the room the cage was located in, being unable to get her to wake up, that had not been a physically taxing experience, nor was it the most taxing experience he had gone through in his time as a labrat.

He shook his head and was startled again when more arms wrapped around him to see Logan’s unreadable expression, then Virgil’s anger, the same anger he directed at Dr. Fafner or the other humans when they spoke about his mate. A protective anger Jay had never had for something he had gone through.

His vision swam, and he let the others surround him as he thought of the ghost arms wrapping around his middle, a soft faded memory of a giggle in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want yall to know, I legit almost sobbed at the very last sentence and I hope yall did too.


	2. Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone had said something about hoping the boys would adopt a child borrower, I think originally hoping it would have been Subject 02, and it got me to thinking. I mean, Patton had said he wanted a family of his own.  
> The only real warning here is the implied child abuse. Nothing is ever really specified and it's mainly a lot of fluff and softness as Moxiety become parents

Patton was cleaning up the home when Roman came to visit unexpectedly.

“Are you decent?” Roman called by the entrance, knocking on the wood. Patton and Virgil hadn’t gotten a door for the frame, both disliking the idea of getting trapped in their own home, so they had a curtain door instead.

“Roman! Come in, please.” Patton stopped what he was doing and hurried to the entrance, hugging the other borrower warmly in greeting. “Did something happen? You don’t normally pop in like this. And where’s your brother?”

Roman laughed, returning the hug before pulling away to walk into the home, sitting down comfortably in a pile of cloth that formed a loveseat. “Remus went to talk to some others about the same thing. We thought it’d be good to divide and conquer in this situation.”

“What happened?” Patton sat next to him, unsure how to react since the other borrower’s tone was light and easy.

Roman rubbed the back of his neck, giving a lopsided smile, uncertain. “We got a tip that a bunch of kids were… kidnapped from the stores, several months ago. We got the information about their whereabouts and any day now, the other humans will be able to save them. Remus and I have decided to talk to the couples around the house, to see how many of them would be willing to care for some of the new rescues, as well as see if any of the other couples may have their children among the new group.”

“Kids?” Patton thought back to the store, to the little girl crying the day he and Virgil had been bought.

“Yeah, half a dozen of them, if Thomas had gotten the right information. We don’t know how old they are, the information on that side of things has been… unclear, even to the humans.” He shook his head. “But still, we’re looking for couples, or really, any borrowers who would be willing to take care of any of them. Thomas said he’d let me and Remus know when they’d be going to get them, and you don’t have to choose right this moment, but if you want, just come to find us and you can meet them along with everyone else.”

“Those poor kids… They must be so scared…” Patton looked at his lap. He had always wanted kids, but when he met Virgil and they became mates, before borrowers had been found out, they hadn’t thought it would be possible to have kids of their own. Patton had been a little disappointed with that, but he had been okay with not having kids. Now, however, he was being told he could have a chance to be a dad.

“I’ll let you have time to talk with Virgil about this.” Roman reassured, and Patton relaxed, having not even realized he had been tense in the first place. “It’s a big commitment, and we all want these kids to be safe.”

“Of course. Thank you for telling me, Roman.” Patton smiled and hugged his friend as they stood up, though his mind was racing with a dozen branching thoughts. He hoped when Virgil returned later today he’d have a better grasp on his thoughts and feelings about the situation, but for now it was certainly a lot. “Do you want anything before you go?”

“Ah, no thank you. Have to see one more family before it gets too late, and then Remus and I have to see how many people had been possibly interested before we get back to Thomas and then wait for him to tell us when we’ll be getting them.” Roman smiled back and stepped out of the embrace. The smile fell after a moment and he sighed. “I really hope those little guys are going to be okay. Can’t even imagine what it would be like to be surrounded by humans as a child.”

“Must be really scared, if they don’t have anyone to keep them safe.” Patton remarked, staving off most of the bad thoughts of what the humans could have done to children, who were smaller and not even finished growing up, and he patted his thigh of the leg that had been for so long broken. It had been properly fixed when he and Virgil arrived at the shelter, but Patton still felt the phantom pains and favoured his other leg when he stood for too long.

“Yeah. We’re hoping the other adults here, and the families that were brought in with their own kids, will be able to help them.” Roman lifted a hand to wave before he left Patton to his thoughts.

The more he thought about it, even without Virgil here at the moment, the more Patton couldn’t bear the idea of saying no. It didn’t matter the age of the child, they needed parents to care for them above all. The more he thought about what the children could have possibly gone through, the more he was reminded of the little girl from the store, the older couple who whispered false reassurances to dry her eyes after she was forcibly separated from her parents. He was reminded of the small families from that cage, imagining the children all alone with no one keeping them safe, and the more he thought about these things, the more he was so sure he wanted to take care of however many kids he could. They may not be his by blood, but the parental urge he had had for his entire life flared up and he couldn’t find it in him to ignore it.

The very moment Virgil entered their home, Patton grabbed his hands and pulled him close and told him everything Roman told him.

“You think we’re ready to take care of another?” Virgil’s first question made Patton pout, making Virgil backpedal. “I just want to make sure! It’s a huge commitment, Pat.”

“I’m sure. It’ll take some time to adjust, yeah, but I want this, Virgil.” He squeezed their hands, giving his mate a soft smile. “You know I’ve wanted kids since before I met you. And now it’s actually possible!”

Virgil sighed and leant forward, pressing their foreheads together and shutting his eyes. “Okay. Okay, we’ll do this.” He murmured.

Patton tilted his head to peck Virgil’s lips in a quick kiss and wrapped his arms around his mate, excited to have the opportunity to raise a kid of their own, even if the circumstances weren’t very good.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Virgil was the one to find Remus and told him he and Patton would want to take one of the kids that would be coming eventually, so then they had to wait until they were told when the humans would rescue them and bring them to the shelter. Patton spent that time figuring out how to make their home child-friendly. He made a separate nest if the child didn’t want to sleep with him and Virgil, picking some of the softest cloths around the house for them and had it be a short distance away to allow them to have the ability to make it private - Virgil had been the one to suggest it, something about his own family doing this as he and his siblings grew up so they could have time in their old home alone without getting bothered too much by the rest of their family before they were old enough to leave - and Patton looked around for things that could be toys for various ages. He wasn’t too sure what kids would like now, compared to what he knew was fun as a child, but he tried to find things that would entertain everyone.

It was about half a week since Roman had talked to Patton about the possibility of taking care of rescued borrower children when the twins came over to tell them the next morning the humans would be rescuing them. They had more information about them as well.

“There’s two toddler-aged kids, and about two dozen kids ranging from five to fourteen.” Roman stated.

Patton gasped, distressed. “That’s… so young. What did those humans  _ do  _ to them?”

The twin leaders looked at one another briefly before Remus answered carefully.

“Neglect, child endangerment, uh, physical abuse on some of them that the team had been able to find.” Remus shrugged, shaking his head. “We’re not too sure but those seemed to be the main things.”

“That’s horrible.” Virgil said.

“Yeah, but now they’ll be safe. We have a dozen couples including you two, so I think the kids will be able to choose who they want to stay with.” Roman said.

The twins left to continue with the rounds of telling the other potential families. Patton could barely sleep, a mix of excitement to see the freed children and fear over what they could have gone through. He spent the nice cuddling close to Virgil, letting him be enveloped by the slighter borrower.

Morning came eventually, and Patton was bouncing around getting ready. He fretted over the home, worrying about small details until Virgil took him by his hands, tapping against one in that familiar beat that Patton normally used on Virgil to calm him down.

They left soon after eating some berries and made their way to the human room the twins told them to meet at. Other adults were already there, speaking to one another in low tones. Patton knew most of them by face, but he had not talked to all of them. He knew the ones he did speak to were more social than the others, but regardless, he waved to the ones he knew for certain, smiling to the ones he had never spoken to before. They were against the wall, hidden away from human sight unless they were looking in all the nooks and crannies of the room.

Roman and Remus soon arrived and gathered the group together.

“We wanted to know how many of you would be willing to be with us when we welcome the kids, when the rescue team is still in the room?” Roman asked, and when a wave of concerned muttering washed through the others, he spoke up. “You don’t have to, you know this, but we thought it’d be good for the kids to see more adults as soon as the bags are opened.”

“Anyone wanna stay up on the table?” Remus asked.

Couples looked between each other, before slowly a few adults raised their hands, Patton included. The twins smiled widely at the group and helped them up to the table where Thomas and the humans agreed would be where they would take the kids first. They stood huddled together, some of them acted like this would be the first time since they had been rescued to interact with humans directly. Patton was a tad skittish of humans still, but Thomas was nice. He was okay being seen by the humans, and was more grateful they kept their distance. He was also quite proud of himself for being able to have conversations with Thomas and a couple other humans. Virgil didn’t like it often, but he always said he trusted Patton to keep himself safe when he was on the other side of the building.

Everyone stopped when they heard the front door open, heads snapping over to the entrance. Thomas and one of Patton’s rescuers, the one he thought was named Talyn, hurried into the room, carrying two bags. They both paused momentarily at the sight of more borrowers than they likely expected, but they made their way to the table and carefully placed the two bags on the table, away from the group of borrowers.

“They may have had a bit of a bumpy ride.” Thomas warned the group as he and Talyn unzipped the bags, opening them. “We were chased to the van.”

Patton felt his heart flutter worriedly.

“Thank you for telling us, Thomas.” Roman waved, before he and Remus beckoned the other adults to the now-opened bags.

Patton followed behind Remus, peering into the bag he stood in front of. A dozen small forms huddled against the back and Patton’s heart almost wept.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Remus said in a softer voice than he had ever heard before, kneeling and holding his hands up. “You’re okay now.”

“Mama?” A soft, high voice trembled from inside the bag, and one of the women gasped, stepping forward. “Mama!”

A dark form sprinted through the bag and the woman let out a wordless cry, wrapping her arms around the child.

“Lexi, Lexi it’s you!” She cried, holding her child tightly. “Oh my goodness, Lexi baby.”

Patton and the rest of the adults with Remus smiled at the reunion, and heard another reunion with Roman and the bag over there.

At the sight of one of the kids finding their parents, the other kids started to walk forward, out of the dark bag and onto the table. They were still huddled together in a scared clump, but by the time they left the bag, the humans had long gone and the other borrowers that had been waiting hidden were climbing the table.

A couple more children saw their parents and ran to them, and Patton saw a pair of twins stumble over themselves as they barrelled over their father to hug him.

The rest of the kids looked at the adults, hope and pain clear on their expressions when they couldn’t find the familiar faces. The reunited families stepped away from the group, staying on the table.

A couple of the older kids, a boy that looked about thirteen and a girl around fourteen, held toddlers against their hips, staying next to one another and Patton blinked in surprise. The girl looked exactly like the girl from the store. Her blonde hair was longer, pulled into a high ponytail with a piece of blue thread, but she wore the same long doll dress Patton barely remembered. It had been down to her shins the last he saw her, but now that she had grown in the two years since he had seen her, it reached just above her knees, and she filled out more of the dress now.

“I’m sorry your parents aren’t here.” Roman said somberly to the group, kneeling down to be eye-to-eye with most of them. “But, these folk here agreed they’d be delighted to take care of you. They’ll keep you safe here.”

“But, before we let you all mingle or whatever,” Remus spoke up, getting everyone, including the reunited families, to look over at him and Roman, “Welcome to the Tiny Shelter!”

The twins gave their usual welcome, telling the children about the rules. During their speeches, Virgil reached Patton and took his hand. The girl seemed to recognize him as her attention snapped from the twins to them. Patton wasn’t sure what expression she had on her face, but it squeezed at his heart. She shifted the toddler in her grip, and turned her attention slowly back to the rules being told.

“So now that that’s over,” Roman clapped his hands with a bright, warm smile at the group of kids, “why don’t we all introduce each other and see who you’d all like to stay with. Sadly, my brother and I can’t take anyone, we’re both very bad at actually taking care of each other.”

“That and I am not always kid-friendly, so have at thee with these bunch.” Remus said, and like that, the barrier around the kids broke.

Some went up to adults at random, the younger ones following some of the older kids. Patton was a little surprised when the girl took the toddler and cautiously approached him and Virgil, hugging the younger child like a security blanket.

“Heya, kiddo.” Patton greeted warmly, smiling as kindly as he could without it feeling out of place.

“You… were from that place. When my mom and dad got bought.” She said slowly, her voice rough and raspy as if she hadn’t spoken in a long time. Patton wanted to get her something to drink but it was a long walk to get anything. “I remember you two. In a corner until you weren’t.”

“You are the girl we saw back then.” Patton agreed, sitting down and encouraging both his mate and the girl to do the same. “Sit, sit, you must be exhausted from the busy morning. Are you okay?”

The girl sat down awkwardly, putting the toddler in her lap as he kept absolutely silent. It was concerning how quiet he was.

“I…” Her eyes grew shiny and she shook her head, dropping her eyes to the table surface rather than looking anywhere else.

“It’s okay, kiddo.” Patton scooted closer slowly, letting the girl see his movements as he moved to sit beside her and wrap his arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry about your parents. I hope they’re okay.”

“Who’s the little guy?” Virgil asked quietly, closing the triangle and held a hand out for the toddler who latched onto it with both hands, looking at it curiously.

The girl winced and ducked her head behind him, her answer muffled. “Apparently our master bought pregnant moms, before I was bought. I… I don’t know what happened to his mom, she was gone before I arrived.” She shook her head. “I made sure he was okay, to help Mattie.” She vaguely gestured to where the teenage boy with the other toddler had been, now talking with another couple and holding the younger child protectively. “He was taking care of everyone so I helped him take care of himself once in a while.” She coughed dryly and cleared her throat.

“You’re very brave, both of you. All of you, really. That must have been a scary experience, huh?” Patton asked, rubbing her arm and felt his heart leap when she easily leant against his side.

She didn’t answer.

“What’s your names?” Virgil asked after a long period of silence between the four of them. “My name’s Virgil, and that’s my mate, Patton.”

“Erin.” She tickled the toddler who giggled quietly and slapped her arms happily. “This is Harley.”

“May I hold him for a bit?” Virgil asked, his hand had been held captive the entire time, even when Harley smacked at Erin.

She looked him over before nodding. Virgil carefully picked up the toddler, the smallest smile on his face threatening to break through, and the sight melted Patton’s heart. Virgil held the child like he was holding something absolutely precious, staring wide-eyed down at him as Harley looked to be doing the exact expression back up at Virgil.

Patton couldn’t stop the squee coming out of him, and he pulled Erin closer to him, watching his mate and the toddler watch each other.

“He likes you.” Erin told them, all but curled into Patton’s side the longer the four stayed sat down. “He normally gets fussy if someone else holds him beside me or Mattie. Even our master couldn’t hold him without him getting fussy. One of us always had to be with him. Same with Taylor.”

It was that very moment that Patton knew he couldn’t bear to let these two leave his sight, and it seemed Erin felt the same.

“You must be exhausted, kiddo.” He murmured to her, resting his cheek on her head. “If you want, we can bring you both to our home.”

Virgil looked at him for a moment before his features softened like they did when they were in their little home cuddled up together and he nodded.

Erin yawned quietly, the softest exhalation Patton’s only indicator. “Y-yeah.”

Patton and Virgil got up, Virgil holding Harley a little awkwardly but the toddler was secure in his arms, and Patton helped Erin to her feet, letting her lean against him sleepily. They went over to Remus and Roman, who were wandering between the smaller groups, keeping an eye on all the kids around. It looked like the reunited families had already left, so all that were left were some kids still looking for couples who wanted them.

“You all looked like you were going to sleep right there, looking all cozy like that.” Remus teased.

“You sure you’ll be okay taking care of two kids?” Roman asked.

Patton looked to Virgil for a moment, taking in how protectively he held Harley as the toddler slept - he did his best not to coo too loudly now that he realized Harley had actually fallen asleep - before he turned to the twins and nodded. “We’ll figure things out.”

“Do you have materials to keep the little guy safe while getting up and down the table?” Roman asked, but it was Erin who answered.

“I have a little sling.” Her words slurred, and she must have been fighting to stay awake at this moment. She was slow and careful to pull off an extra piece of cloth similar to a sash and handed it to Virgil, helping him put it on correctly and getting Harley in so he was secure against his chest without waking him up. “There.”

“Looks good. We’ll check in with you all in a week to see how the kids settle in and if there are any big concerns. You can also talk to any of the other families.” Roman suggested.

“Also, the miss looks like she was capable,” Remus piped in, ruffling Erin’s hair, “Don’t be afraid to tell these two if you need anything. They don’t bite.”

Erin grumbled, trying to fix her hair that got dislodged from her ponytail.

“Bye.” Patton said and led the way to the edge of the table closest to the nearest wall hole. He had Erin hop on his back and carefully made his way down the string to the floor, then waited for Virgil. Erin was worryingly light, something he hadn’t realized until he was carrying all of her weight on his back. He decided when she woke up he’d make as big a meal as he could.

He kept Erin on his back as they made their way into the walls, heading for home, and he felt the moment she dropped off into sleep, her breath evening out against his neck and he had to contain himself so he didn’t wake her up so soon. Virgil and Patton walked slower than they usually would, mindful of where they were walking until they finally reached their little home. At the entrance Virgil went in ahead while Patton nudged Erin awake.

“Psst, hey, we’re home.” He said quietly as she stirred, mumbling something he couldn’t understand. “You can sleep in a proper nest.”

Erin made a noise similar to a cat, a ‘mrr’ hum and she lifted her head from Patton’s shoulder to look around. She slid off his back and slowly walked into the home, turning around and around as she tried to look at everything at once.

“Hey, hey, exploring comes after naptime.” Patton chuckled, gesturing to the separated nest. “We didn’t know if you’d want to have privacy or not, but you have your own nest to sleep in if you want. Our nest is nearby.” He gestured to the larger nest a few inches away, where Virgil was laying down with Harley against his chest. The toddler was completely asleep, and it looked like Virgil wasn’t about to complain about having a nap either.

Erin hummed softly before she made her way to the large nest, climbing in and curling up by Virgil without a word. She looked back at Patton and made grabby hands at him, and honestly, how could he refuse?

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [ LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:  
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**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [One Shot | September Writing Prompts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26293867) by [Narrans](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narrans/pseuds/Narrans)




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